Today the European Commission published the results of the 2016 edition of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). The findings show that Member States have made progress in areas such as connectivity and digital skills, as well as in public services, since the publication of the Commission's Digital Single Market Strategy last year.
While highlighting improvements, … [Read more...]

The 1989 cult movie “Back to the Future II” predicted that the year 2015 would bring with it a world of hover-boards, flying cars and self-lacing trainers, writes Carsten Bruhn, Executive Vice President, Commercial at Ricoh Europe. While few of the flashy gadgets foreseen by the film’s creators have come into existence, 1989 proved a landmark year from which the way we … [Read more...]

Every day we face challenges – from the personal, such as the quickest way to get to work, or what we should eat, to global ones like climate change and how to sustainably feed and educate seven billion people on this planet, writes Rufus Pollock, Founder, Open Knowledge
At Open Knowledge we believe that opening up data – and turning that data into insight – can be crucial … [Read more...]

What is at stake today is the safeguarding of our European social model through innovation, writes by Herman Van Rompuy, Presisdent of the European Council. Innovation, that is more than just R&D; innovation consisting of the ability of a system not only to produce new ideas but also to bring them to the market and translate them into economic growth and prosperity. … [Read more...]

In 2009, a small independent video game studio in Finland called Rovio is on the brink of bankruptcy. It employs a dozen young people, one of them is my own son; one my nephew; none of them have any previous corporate experience, writes Kaj Hed, Chairman of Rovio Entertainment Ltd.
I believed in their dream, invested in it, but still at the time of their 52nd mobile … [Read more...]

A few years from now, half the world’s population will have access to super-high-speed Internet. In Belgium, and in other European countries, different operators are focusing ever more on making Internet faster, writes Saskia van Uffelen, Belgian Digital Champion, CEO at Ericsson Belux
In our country, operator Telenet announced at the end of August that it will provide the … [Read more...]

Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and CEO of WPP, challenges European leaders to bring coding into the classroom, and suggests other top tips for the digital age.
"Business leaders like to complain that institutions of government are slow, bureaucratic and blind to the “reality” of the marketplace," writes Sorrell, "Politicians and civil servants respond that companies wouldn’t … [Read more...]

Founder of Tuenti - Spain's largest social network and mobile multiplatform - Zaryn Dentzel sets out why he thinks Europe should become more entrepreneur - friendly and how it should look beyond its borders to achieve global success
The Internet is one of the key factors driving today’s economy. No one can afford to be left behind. Even in a tough macroeconomic framework, … [Read more...]

The digital age is upon us and already it has created more social change than anybody might have dreamt of even a few decades ago. Both hardware and software have come light-years away from their first, hugely clumsy versions and it would be foolish to try and predict what unprecedented applications will come on the market in the very near future, writes Vaira … [Read more...]

Innovation isn’t easy. It takes courage to experiment and advance a new idea and determination to ensure its widespread use. Europe has always excelled at this. Radio, television, and the standard for second-generation mobile communications, GSM, all originated in Europe. But past success won’t ensure Europe’s long tradition of innovation continues, writes Eric … [Read more...]